SOI substrate with acceptor-doped layer

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes a SOI substrate including a silicon substrate, an oxide layer on the silicon substrate, and a silicon layer on the oxide layer; a source region and a drain region formed in the silicon layer; and an acceptor-doped layer formed between the oxide layer and the silicon substrate, the acceptor-doped layer being doped with acceptors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 from Ser. No. 13/399,779 filed Feb. 17, 2012, whichis a division of U.S. Ser. No. 12/046,033 filed Mar. 11, 2008 (now U.S.Pat. No. 8,134,224 issued Mar. 13, 2012), and claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Japanese Patent Application No.2007-062137 filed Mar. 12, 2007; the entire contents of each of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularlyto a semiconductor device having a silicon substrate and receiving asinput a radio frequency signal.

2. Background Art

Conventionally, semiconductor devices adapted to radio frequency (RF)signals having frequencies above 500 MHz are often based on compoundsemiconductors such as GaAs (gallium arsenide) or InP (indiumphosphide). The reason is that these compound semiconductors have higherelectron mobility than silicon, being advantageous to high-speedoperation, and that semi-insulating substrates can be easily obtainedfrom these compound semiconductors, allowing reduction of parasiticcapacitance.

However, compound semiconductors have a higher material cost thansilicon and have difficulty in increasing the wafer diameter. Hencethere is a problem of a correspondingly high process cost inmanufacturing semiconductor devices from compound semiconductors. On theother hand, recently, semi-insulating substrates having a specificresistance of 1 kQcm or more have been made available also in the formof silicon substrates. Furthermore, a current-gain cutoff frequency of10 GHz or more has been realized also in semiconductor devices based onsilicon substrates. Thus use of silicon substrates is graduallyincreasing also in semiconductor devices for radio frequencyapplication. With regard to semiconductor devices for radio frequencyapplication, there is disclosed a technique for increasing the operatingspeed of a semiconductor device by forming a thick insulating film on asilicon substrate and forming circuits and interconnects on theinsulating film, thereby reducing parasitic capacitance between thecircuits/interconnects and the silicon substrate (see, e.g., C. Tinella,et al., “0.13 μm CMOS SOI SP6T antenna switch for multi-standardhandsets”, 2006 Topical Meeting on Silicon Monolithic IntegratedCircuits in RF Systems, Dig. pp. 58-61, 2006).

However, a semiconductor device including a radio frequency circuit on asilicon substrate has a problem of the increase of harmonics,particularly second harmonics, of RF signals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided asemiconductor device receiving as input a radio frequency signal havinga frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm or more, including:a silicon substrate; a silicon oxide film formed on the siliconsubstrate; a radio frequency interconnect provided on the silicon oxidefilm and passing the radio frequency signal; a fixed potentialinterconnect provided on the silicon oxide film and placed at a fixedpotential; and an acceptor-doped layer formed in a region of the siliconsubstrate, the region being in contact with the silicon oxide film, theacceptor-doped layer being doped with acceptors.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided asemiconductor device receiving as input a radio frequency signal havinga frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm or more, including:a silicon substrate; a silicon oxide film formed on the siliconsubstrate; a radio frequency interconnect provided on the silicon oxidefilm and passing the radio frequency signal; a fixed potentialinterconnect provided on the silicon oxide film and placed at a fixedpotential; and a trench formed in a region of the silicon oxide filmlocated between the radio frequency interconnect and the fixed potentialinterconnect as viewed perpendicular to a surface of the siliconsubstrate, the trench reaching the silicon substrate.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided asemiconductor device receiving as input a radio frequency signal havinga frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm or more, including:a silicon substrate; a silicon oxide film formed on the siliconsubstrate; a plurality of transistors provided on the silicon oxidefilm; and a trench formed in a region of the silicon oxide film locatedbetween the transistors as viewed perpendicular to a surface of thesilicon substrate, the trench reaching the silicon substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according to afirst embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a boron concentration profile in thesilicon substrate along the depth, where the horizontal axis representsdistance from the interface between the silicon substrate and thesilicon oxide film, and the vertical axis represents boronconcentration.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a comparative example of this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a test sample used in an example test of thisembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a test apparatus used in an exampletest of this embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8A to 8C are process cross-sectional views illustrating a methodfor manufacturing the semiconductor device according to this embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a comparative example of this embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating the semiconductor deviceaccording to this embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating the semiconductor device accordingto this embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B′ shown in FIG.13.

FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa comparative example of this embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C′ shown in FIG.15.

FIG. 17 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa fifth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa comparative example of this embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa sixth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F′ shown in FIG.19.

FIG. 21 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa seventh embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings.

First, a first embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according tothis embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a boron concentration profile in thesilicon substrate along the depth, where the horizontal axis representsdistance from the interface between the silicon substrate and thesilicon oxide film, and the vertical axis represents boronconcentration.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the semiconductor device 1 according to thisembodiment receives as input a radio frequency signal (RF signal) havinga frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm (=100 mW) or more.For example, in a mobile communication apparatus, the semiconductordevice 1 serves as a radio frequency switch circuit through which anantenna is connected to a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit.

The semiconductor device 1 includes a silicon substrate 2 made of P-typesingle crystal silicon (Si) doped with P-type dopants such as boron (B).A silicon oxide film 3 made of silicon oxide (SiO₂) is provided on thesilicon substrate 2. The silicon oxide film 3 is in contact with thesilicon substrate 2 and has a thickness of 1 μm, for example. A radiofrequency circuit 4 is provided on the silicon oxide film 3. Bondingpads 5 for inputting/outputting an RF signal to/from the radio frequencycircuit 4 are provided illustratively at three locations. Threeinterconnects 6, for example, are provided for connecting the radiofrequency circuit 4 to the respective bonding pads 5. Furthermore, onthe silicon oxide film 3, bonding pads 7 to be placed at the groundpotential (GND) and interconnects 8 connected to the bonding pads 7 areprovided.

A boron-doped layer 9 serving as an acceptor-doped layer is formed in aregion of the silicon substrate 2 being in contact with the siliconoxide film 3. The boron-doped layer 9 is doped with boron at a higherconcentration than in the region of the silicon substrate 2 other thanthe boron-doped layer 9. The boron-doped layer 9 is illustrativelyformed throughout the interface 10 between the silicon substrate 2 andthe silicon oxide film 3.

The thickness of the boron-doped layer 9 is illustratively 1 μm or less,and the sheet concentration of boron in the boron-doped layer 9 isillustratively 4.0×10¹⁰ to 3.5×10¹¹ cm⁻². That is, the sheetconcentration of boron in the region of the silicon substrate 2 locatedfrom the interface 10 to a depth of 1 μm is illustratively 4.0×10¹⁰ to3.5×10¹¹ cm⁻² higher than the sheet concentration of boron in thethrough-thickness center portion of the silicon substrate 2, i.e., in a1 μm-thick layer of the portion other than the 1 μm-thick top portionand the 5 μm-thick bottom portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, in an example, the boron concentration in thesilicon substrate 2 is maximized near the upper surface of the siliconsubstrate 2, that is, near the interface 10 with the silicon oxide film3, decreases with the depth, and remains constant below a certain depth.For example, the boron concentration is approximately 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻³ nearthe interface 10, monotonically decreases with the depth from theinterface 10 to the position of approximately 0.6 μm, becomesapproximately 5×10¹² cm⁻³ at the position of approximately 0.6 μm fromthe interface 10, and remains generally constant at positionstherebelow. That is, the average boron concentration in the siliconsubstrate 2 is approximately 5×10¹² cm⁻³. Hence it can be said that theboron-doped layer 9 has a lower surface located at 0.6 μm below theinterface 10 and has a thickness of 0.6 μm.

In this example, the sheet concentration of boron in the region locatedfrom the interface 10 to a depth of 1 μm is 5.10×10¹⁰ cm⁻². On the otherhand, the average boron concentration in the through-thickness centerportion of the silicon substrate 2, i.e., in the portion other than the1 μm-thick top portion and the 5 μm-thick bottom portion, is 5×10¹²cm⁻³. Hence the sheet concentration of boron in a region having athickness of 1 μm (=10⁻⁴ cm) in this through-thickness center portion is5×10⁸ cm⁻² (=0.05×10¹⁰ cm⁻²). Therefore the sheet concentration of boronin the region located from the interface 10 to a depth of 1 μm is5.05×10¹⁰ cm⁻² (=5.10×10¹⁰−0.05×10¹⁰ cm⁻²) higher than the sheetconcentration of boron in a 1 μm-thick layer in the remaining region ofthe substrate.

In the above example, the boron concentration is illustrativelymaximized near the interface 10 in the boron concentration profile alongthe depth. However, this embodiment is not limited thereto, but theboron concentration may be maximized at a position spaced from theinterface 10. For example, it may be maximized at a position spacedapproximately 0.4 μm below the interface 10.

Next, a method for manufacturing the above semiconductor device 1 isdescribed.

First, a silicon substrate 2 having a boron concentration of 5×10¹² cm⁻³is prepared. Thermal oxidation is performed on this silicon substrate 2to form a silicon oxide film 3 having a thickness of 1 μm, for example,in its upper surface. Next, boron ion implantation is performed fromabove the silicon substrate 2 under the condition of an accelerationvoltage of 350 keV and a dose amount of 1.5×10¹¹ cm⁻², for example. Thusboron passes through the silicon oxide film 3 and is implanted in aregion of the silicon substrate 2 being in contact with the siliconoxide film 3. Next, heat treatment is performed to activate theimplanted boron under the condition of a temperature of 950° C. and aretention time of 1 minute, for example. Thus a boron-doped layer 9 isformed. Subsequently, a photolithography process is applied to form aradio frequency circuit 4, bonding pads 5, interconnects 6, bonding pads7, and interconnects 8 on the silicon oxide film 3. Consequently, thesemiconductor device 1 is manufactured.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment are described incontrast to a comparative example.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a comparative example of this embodiment.

The plan view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 4 is the same asthat in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the semiconductor device 101 according to thecomparative example has no boron-doped layer 9 (see FIG. 2) in theregion of the silicon substrate 2 being in contact with the siliconoxide film 3. The configuration of the semiconductor device 101 otherthan the foregoing is the same as that of the semiconductor device 1according to this embodiment described above. The method formanufacturing the semiconductor device 101 is the same as the abovemethod for manufacturing the semiconductor device 1 except that boronion implantation is omitted.

In this semiconductor device 101, dangling bonds at the interface 10 ofthe silicon oxide film 3 act as positive charges. Hence electrons gatherin a region of the silicon substrate 2 being in contact with theinterface 10 and serve as interface carriers to form an interfacecarrier layer 102. In the case where a silicon oxide film having athickness of 1 μm is formed by thermal oxidation as in this comparativeexample, the sheet concentration of interface carriers is approximately5×10¹⁰ to 1.0×10¹¹ cm⁻².

When an RF signal is inputted to the radio frequency circuit 4 of thesemiconductor device 101, the variation of voltage between theinterconnect 6 conducting the RF signal and the interconnect 8 placed atthe ground potential causes interface carriers to migrate, resulting ina current in the silicon substrate 2. This generates harmonics of the RFsignal.

In contrast, in the semiconductor device 1 of this embodiment as shownin FIG. 2, a boron-doped layer 9 is formed in a region of the siliconsubstrate 2 being in contact with the interface 10. This boron-dopedlayer 9 serves as a source of holes, being operable for chargecompensation of electrons gathering near the interface 10 to decreaseinterface carriers contributing to conduction. In an example, the sheetconcentration of interface carriers contributing to conduction decreasesto 0.05×10¹⁰ cm⁻². Consequently, harmonic generation is suppressed evenif an RF signal is passed through the interconnect 6. In general,harmonic generation becomes prominent for input of harmonic signalshaving a frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm or more.Hence the semiconductor device according to this embodiment is suitablefor applications involving input of harmonic signals having a frequencyof 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm or more.

In the following, an example test demonstrating the effect of thisembodiment is described.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a test sample used in this example test.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a test apparatus used in this exampletest.

As shown in FIG. 5, as in the above first embodiment, the test sample 11includes a silicon oxide film 3 on a silicon substrate 2 (see FIG. 2). Atest pattern of three interconnects 12 arranged in parallel to eachother is formed on the silicon oxide film 3. The test sample 11according to the inventive example of this embodiment includes aboron-doped layer 9 (see FIG. 2) in the silicon substrate 2 near itsupper surface, whereas the test sample 11 according to the comparativeexample includes no boron-doped layer.

As shown in FIG. 6, the test apparatus 201 includes a radio frequencysignal source 202, a radio frequency power amplifier 203, a spectrumanalyzer 204, a pair of SMA (Sub Miniature Type A) cables 205, and apair of radio frequency probes 206. The radio frequency signal source202, the radio frequency power amplifier 203, one SMA cable 205, oneradio frequency probe 206, the interconnects 12, the other radiofrequency probe 206, the other SMA cable 205, and the spectrum analyzer204 are connected in series in this order by bringing the pair of radiofrequency probes 206 into contact with either end of the interconnects12 of the test sample 11.

In this condition, the radio frequency signal source 202, the radiofrequency power amplifier 203, and the spectrum analyzer 204 areactivated. An RF signal outputted from the radio frequency signal source202 is amplified by the radio frequency power amplifier 203 and inputtedto one end of the interconnects 12 through the one SMA cable 205 andradio frequency probe 206. At this time, the RF signal is inputted onlyto the center interconnect 12, whereas the interconnects 12 on bothsides thereof are placed at the ground potential. The RF signalconducted through the interconnect 12 is passed from the other end ofthe interconnect 12 through the other radio frequency probe 206 and SMAcable 205 and inputted to the spectrum analyzer 204. The spectrumanalyzer 204 detects a potential difference between the centerinterconnect 12 and the side interconnects 12 and measures the intensityof second harmonics.

By way of example, an RF signal having a frequency of 2 GHz was inputtedto the test sample 11. For an input amplitude of 35 dBm and acharacteristic impedance of 50Ω, the voltage amplitude was approximately18 V, and the magnitude of second harmonics was as shown in TABLE 1below. As seen from TABLE 1, generation of second harmonics was lower inthe inventive example than in the comparative example.

TABLE 1 RF signal power (dBm) Boron-doped layer 20 35 Inventive Included−93 dBc −78 dBc example Comparative Not included −83 dBc −68 dBc example

In the boron-doped layer 9, even a slightest amount of boron introducedtherein decreases the effective interface carriers by that amount andhence achieves an effect of suppressing harmonic generation. However, toensure this effect, the sheet concentration of boron in the boron-dopedlayer 9 is preferably comparable to or higher than the sheetconcentration of interface carriers. When the silicon oxide film 3 has apractical thickness of 0.1 μm or more, the sheet concentration ofinterface carriers is 4.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻² or more, and hence the sheetconcentration of boron in the boron-doped layer 9 is preferably 4.0×10¹⁰cm⁻² or more. On the other hand, as described above, the sheetconcentration of interface carriers is approximately 5×10¹⁰ to 1.0×10¹¹cm⁻², and in single crystal silicon, the electron mobility isapproximately 1400 cm²/V·sec and the hole mobility is 400 cm²/V·sec.Hence a boron sheet concentration of 3.5×10¹¹ cm⁻² (=1400/400×1.0×10¹¹cm⁻²) is sufficient, in calculation, for charge compensation of allinterface carriers. Therefore the sheet concentration of boron in theboron-doped layer 9 is preferably 4.0×10¹⁰ to 3.5×10¹¹ cm⁻².

In this embodiment, the condition for forming the boron-doped layer 9 isnot limited to the above condition. For example, when the thickness ofthe silicon oxide film 3 is 2 μm, a preferable acceleration voltage forion implantation is approximately 1.1 MeV. The heat treatment conditionfor activating doped boron is not limited to 950° C. and 1 minute, butany other conditions can be used if boron is activated.

In the method of the example described above, a silicon oxide film 3 isformed by thermal oxidation, and then boron is introduced into thesilicon substrate 2 by ion implantation. However, this embodiment is notlimited thereto. For example, after a boron-doped layer 9 is formed inthe silicon substrate 2 by solid state diffusion or ion implantation, anSiO₂ film may be deposited by normal pressure CVD (chemical vapordeposition) using TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate (Si(OC₂H₅)₄)) as a rawmaterial to form a silicon oxide film 3. Such change of the formationmethod or material for the silicon oxide film 3 may also vary theconcentration of interface carriers. However, the interface carrierconcentration is not likely to be lower than 4×10¹⁰ cm⁻², which occursin the case where the thermal oxide film is formed to a thickness of 0.1μm. Hence charge compensation for interface carriers can be ensured ifthe sheet concentration of boron is 4×10¹⁰ cm⁻² or more.

Next, a second embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to this embodiment.

The cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 shows a MOSFET (metal oxidesemiconductor field effect transistor), which is used in the radiofrequency circuit 4 shown in FIG. 1 for conduction of a radio frequencysignal (RF signal) having a frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of20 dBm or more. This MOSFET is formed on an SOI (silicon on insulator)substrate.

More specifically, the semiconductor device 21 includes an SOI (siliconon insulator) substrate 22. The SOI substrate 22 includes a P-typehigh-resistance silicon substrate 23 doped with boron (B) and having aspecific resistance of 1 kΩ·cm or more. A BOX (buried oxide) layer 24 isprovided as a silicon oxide film on the high-resistance siliconsubstrate 23, and a silicon layer 25 is provided on the BOX layer 24.The thickness of the BOX layer 24 is illustratively 2 μm, and thethickness of the silicon layer 25 is illustratively 0.13 μm.

The silicon layer 25 includes a device isolation region 26 made ofsilicon oxide and reaching the BOX layer 24, and a MOSFET 27 is formedin a region partitioned by the device isolation region 26. Morespecifically, a source region 28 and a drain region 29 made of a pair ofn⁺-type layers are formed in the silicon layer 25, and the regionbetween the source region 28 and the drain region 29 constitutes achannel region 30. A gate oxide film 31 is formed on the silicon layer25 directly above the channel region 30, and a gate electrode 32 isprovided on the gate oxide film 31. A sidewall 33 is provided on thelateral side of the gate electrode 32. On the other hand, ohmic contactlayers 34 and 35 are formed in regions of the silicon layer 25 being incontact with the source region 28 and the drain region 29, respectively.A source electrode 36 is provided on the surface of the ohmic contactlayer 34, and a drain electrode 37 is provided on the surface of theohmic contact layer 35.

A boron-doped layer 39 is formed in a region of the high-resistancesilicon substrate 23 being in contact with the BOX layer 24. Thethickness of the boron-doped layer 39 is illustratively 1 μm or less,and the sheet concentration of boron is illustratively 4.0×10¹⁰ to3.5×10¹¹ cm⁻². That is, the sheet concentration of boron in the regionof the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 located from the interface38 with the BOX layer 24 to a depth of 1 μm is illustratively 4.0×10¹⁰to 3.5×10¹¹ cm⁻² higher than the sheet concentration of boron in a 1μm-thick layer of the portion of the high-resistance silicon substrate23 other than the 1 μm-thick top portion and the 5 μm-thick bottomportion.

Next, a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device 21 accordingto this embodiment is described.

FIGS. 8A to 8C are process cross-sectional views illustrating the methodfor manufacturing the semiconductor device according to this embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 8A, a P-type high-resistance silicon substrate23 doped with boron and having a specific resistance of 1 kΩ·cm or moreis prepared. Next, thermal oxidation is applied to the high-resistancesilicon substrate 23 to grow a BOX layer 24 to a thickness of 2 μm inthe surface of the high-resistance silicon substrate 23. Next, a siliconplate is laminated to the BOX layer 24 by the smart-cut method to form asilicon layer 25. Thus an SOI substrate 22 is fabricated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, a device isolation region 26 is formed in thesilicon layer 25 of the SOI substrate 22. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C,boron ion implantation is performed under the condition of anacceleration voltage of 1.15 MeV and a dose amount of 3.0×10¹¹ cm⁻², forexample. Boron ions pass through the silicon layer 25 or the deviceisolation region 26, pass through the BOX layer 24, and reach thehigh-resistance silicon substrate 23. Thus a boron-doped layer 39 isformed in a region of the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 being incontact with the BOX layer 24.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the conventional method for manufacturing aMOSFET is followed. More specifically, a channel region 30 is formed byion implantation. A gate oxide film 31 is formed on the channel region30. A gate electrode 32 is formed on the gate oxide film 31. A sourceregion 28 and a drain region 29 are formed by ion implantation of N-typedopants using the gate electrode 32 as a mask. A sidewall 33 is formedso as to cover the side face of the gate electrode 32. Ohmic contactlayers 34 and 35 are formed by ion implantation, and activationannealing is performed. A source electrode 36 and a drain electrode 37are formed by forming ohmic layers at the surface of the ohmic contactlayers 34 and 35. Thus a MOSFET 27 is fabricated. Then an interlayerinsulating film (not shown) and an interconnect (not shown) are formed.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment are described incontrast to a comparative example.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a comparative example of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the semiconductor device 121 according to thecomparative example has no boron-doped layer 39 (see FIG. 7) in theregion of the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 being in contact withthe BOX layer 24. The configuration of the semiconductor device 121other than the foregoing is the same as that of the semiconductor device21 according to this embodiment described above. The method formanufacturing the semiconductor device 121 is the same as the abovemethod for manufacturing the semiconductor device 21 except that boronion implantation is omitted.

In the semiconductor device 121, electrons occur in a region of thehigh-resistance silicon substrate 23 being in contact with the interface38 with the BOX layer 24 and serve as interface carriers to form aninterface carrier layer 122. The concentration of interface carriersdepends on the material and thickness of the BOX layer 24. In the casewhere the BOX layer 24 is a thermal oxide film, the sheet concentrationof interface carriers is 4.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻² or more when the thickness of theBOX layer 24 is 0.1 μm or more, and the sheet concentration of interfacecarriers is 7.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻² when the thickness is 2.0 μm.

When an RF signal is inputted to the semiconductor device 121 like this,interface carriers migrate along the interface 38 to generate harmonics.In contrast, in the semiconductor device 21 according to thisembodiment, the boron-doped layer 39 serves for charge compensation ofinterface carriers. Hence harmonic generation is suppressed even if anRF signal is inputted.

Next, a third embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according tothis embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating the semiconductor deviceaccording to this embodiment.

The semiconductor device according to this embodiment is an examplewhere the MOSFET shown in the above second embodiment is applied to aradio frequency switch circuit, and particularly to a shunt SPDT(single-pole double-throw) switch circuit.

As shown in FIG. 10, the semiconductor device 41 according to thisembodiment includes an interlayer insulating film 40 formed on an SOIsubstrate. On the interlayer insulating film 40 are provided an antennapad 42 to be connected to an antenna terminal; a transmit pad 43 to beconnected to a first RF terminal, e.g., an RF terminal of an externaltransmitting circuit (not shown); a receive pad 44 to be connected to asecond RF terminal, e.g., an RF terminal of an external receivingcircuit (not shown); and GND pads 45 and 46 to be placed at the groundpotential. Here, the connection relationship between the above pads andterminals, and the terms “antenna pad”, “transmit pad”, “receive pad”,and “GND pad” are only for convenience of facilitating description. Morespecifically, the antenna pad 42 does not necessarily need to beconnected to an antenna. The transmit pad 43 and the receive pad 44 donot necessarily need to be connected to a transmitting circuit and areceiving circuit. The fixed potential applied to the GND pads 45 and 46does not necessarily need to be the ground potential. That is, theintended use of the semiconductor device 41 is arbitrary, and is notlimited to switching among an antenna, a transmitting circuit, and areceiving circuit.

The semiconductor device 41 also includes a through MOSFET region 47provided with a MOSFET for switching connection and disconnection of theantenna pad 42 to the transmit pad 43; a through MOSFET region 48provided with a MOSFET for switching connection and disconnection of theantenna pad 42 to the receive pad 44; a shunt MOSFET region 49 providedwith a MOSFET for switching connection and disconnection of the transmitpad 43 to the GND pad 45; and a shunt MOSFET region 50 provided with aMOSFET for switching connection and disconnection of the receive pad 44to the GND pad 46.

The semiconductor device 41 further includes an interconnect region 51provided with an interconnect for connecting the antenna pad 42 to thethrough MOSFET regions 47 and 48; an interconnect region 52 providedwith an interconnect for connecting the through MOSFET region 47 to thetransmit pad 43; an interconnect region 53 provided with an interconnectfor connecting the through MOSFET region 48 to the receive pad 44; aninterconnect region 54 provided with an interconnect for connecting thetransmit pad 43 to the shunt MOSFET region 49; an interconnect region 55provided with an interconnect for connecting the receive pad 44 to theshunt MOSFET region 50; an interconnect region 56 provided with aninterconnect for connecting the shunt MOSFET region 49 to the GND pad45; and an interconnect region 57 provided with an interconnect forconnecting the shunt MOSFET region 50 to the GND pad 46. Eachinterconnect region may illustratively include one interconnect formedfrom one continuous metal film, or a plurality of interconnects spacedfrom each other. Furthermore, the semiconductor device 41 includes alogic circuit region 58 provided with a logic circuit. A control circuit59 is formed in the logic circuit region 58.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the through MOSFET region 47, transistors T11and T12 are connected in series between the antenna pad 42 and thetransmit pad 43, and in the through MOSFET region 48, transistors T21and T22 are connected in series between the antenna pad 42 and thereceive pad 44. In the shunt MOSFET region 49, transistors T31 and T32are connected in series between the transmit pad 43 and the GND pad 45,and in the shunt MOSFET region 50, transistors T41 and T42 are connectedin series between the receive pad 44 and the GND pad 46.

Each of the above transistors is a MOSFET serving as a radio frequencyswitching element and has the same structure as the MOSFET 27 in theabove second embodiment. The gate electrode of the transistors T11-T42is connected to the control circuit 59 through resistors Rg11-Rg42,respectively. Furthermore, resistors Rd11-Rd42 are connected in parallelto the transistors T11-T42 between the source and the drain thereof,respectively. The resistors Rd11-Rd42 serve to maintain a fixed biasvoltage between the source and the drain of the respective transistors.Furthermore, an interlayer insulating film (not shown) is formed on theSOI substrate 22 so as to cover each MOSFET, and the interconnect (notshown) provided in each of the above interconnect regions is formed onthis interlayer insulating film.

Next, the operation and effect of the semiconductor device 41 accordingto this embodiment are described.

The control circuit 59 controls the potential of the gate electrode ofthe transistors T11-T42 through the resistors Rg11-Rg42, thereby turningeach transistor into the conducting or non-conducting state to switchbetween conducting and blocking an RF signal. For example, if thetransistors T11 and T12 of the through MOSFET region 47 and thetransistors T41 and T42 of the shunt MOSFET region 50 are turned intothe conducting state, and the transistors T21 and T22 of the throughMOSFET region 48 and the transistors T31 and T32 of the shunt MOSFETregion 49 are turned into the non-conducting state, then the transmitpad 43 is connected to the antenna pad 42, and an RF signal outputtedfrom the transmitting circuit is transmitted from the antenna. On theother hand, if the transistors T21 and T22 of the through MOSFET region48 and the transistors T31 and T32 of the shunt MOSFET region 49 areturned into the conducting state, and the transistors T11 and T12 of thethrough MOSFET region 47 and the transistors T41 and T42 of the shuntMOSFET region 50 are turned into the non-conducting state, then theantenna pad 42 is connected to the receive pad 44, and an RF signalreceived by the antenna is inputted to the receiving circuit.

By such operation, an RF signal flows through the through MOSFET regions47 and 48, the interconnect regions 51, 52, and 53, the transmit pad 43,and the receive pad 44, whereas the ground potential continues to beapplied to the GND pads 45 and 46. Hence, if the boron-doped layer 39(see FIG. 7) is not formed as in the semiconductor device shown in FIG.9, interface carriers migrate in response to the voltage between the RFsignal and the ground potential. This results in harmonics due to the RFsignal. Here, such migration of interface carriers is particularlyprominent in a region 60 (see FIG. 10) between the interconnect 52, 53conducting the RF signal and the GND pad 45, 46 placed at the groundpotential. In contrast, in the semiconductor device 41 according to thisembodiment, the boron-doped layer 39 formed therein serves for chargecompensation of interface carriers, suppressing harmonic generation.

In the following, the effect of this embodiment is quantitativelydescribed with reference to a numerical example.

First, an SOI substrate without boron doping (comparative example) andan SOI substrate doped with boron (inventive example) were fabricated.In both substrates, the thickness of the high-resistance siliconsubstrate 23 was 725 μm, its specific resistance was 1 kΩ·cm, thethickness of the BOX layer 24 was 2 μm, and the thickness of the siliconlayer was 0.13 μm. Here, in the SOI substrate of the comparativeexample, because no boron-doped layer 39 is formed, electrons occurredas interface carriers, and the concentration thereof was 7.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻².In contrast, in the SOI substrate of the inventive example, boron wasion-implanted at an acceleration voltage of 1.15 MeV and a dose amountof 3.0×10¹¹ cm⁻² to form a boron-doped layer 39. Here, the dopingconcentration in the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 was 7.8×10¹⁰cm⁻². Hence, in this case, interface carriers contributing to conductionwere holes, and the concentration thereof was 0.8×10¹⁰ cm⁻². It is notedthat, even at the same concentration, holes have a smaller contributionto conduction than electrons because the hole has a smaller mobilitythan the electron.

Then the above radio frequency switch was formed on these SOIsubstrates. Here, each transistor (MOSFET) was an NMOS, and the gatelength (L_(g)) was 0.25 μm. Then the threshold voltage (V_(th)) was 0.5V, the on-resistance (R_(on)) was 1.5 Ωmm, and the off-capacitance(C_(off)) was 0.28 pF/mm. The gate width (W_(g)) was 0.6 mm for thethrough NMOS (T11-T22) and 0.2 mm for the shunt NMOS (T31-T42). Eachadditional gate resistance (Rg11-Rg42) was 10 kΩ, and each additionalsource-drain resistance (Rd11-Rd42) was 10 kΩ.

In these semiconductor devices, a potential of +3 V was applied to thegate electrode of the NMOS constituting the through MOSFET region 47 andthe shunt MOSFET region 50 to turn it into the conducting state, and apotential of 0 V (ground potential) was applied to the gate electrode ofthe NMOS constituting the through MOSFET region 48 and the shunt MOSFETregion 49 to turn it into the non-conducting state. Then an RF signalhaving a frequency of 900 MHz was passed from the transmit pad 43 to theantenna pad 42, and second harmonics were measured. The measurementresult is shown in TABLE 2 below. As seen from TABLE 2, generation ofsecond harmonics was suppressed more effectively in the inventiveexample than in the comparative example.

TABLE 2 RF signal power (dBm) Boron-doped layer 20 35 Inventive Included−90 dBc −75 dBc example Comparative Not included −80 dBc −65 dBc example

In this embodiment, the specific resistance of the high-resistancesilicon substrate 23 is 1 kΩ·cm or more. This is intended for decreasingthe parasitic capacitance of the MOSFET. Hence the specific resistanceof the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 may be less than 1 kΩ·cm aslong as the parasitic capacitance of the MOSFET does not affect theperformance of the radio frequency switch circuit. Furthermore, theconductivity type of the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 is notlimited to P-type, but may be N-type.

In this embodiment, the thickness of the BOX layer 24 is 2 μm. This isalso intended for decreasing the parasitic capacitance of the MOSFET.More specifically, an SOI substrate includes a thick BOX layer, whichadvantageously allows reduction of parasitic capacitance between theelement formed thereon and the silicon substrate, thereby enhancing thespeed of the element. In contrast, if a CMOS is formed on a conventionalsubstrate other than the SOI substrate, the magnitude of parasiticcapacitance is determined by the well formed by ion implantation and isgreater than in the case of using the SOI substrate. However, if the BOXlayer in the SOI substrate is thinned to a thickness of approximately0.1 μm, the parasitic capacitance of the MOSFET is comparable inmagnitude to the parasitic capacitance of the MOSFET formed on aconventional substrate, losing the advantage of using the SOI substrate.Furthermore, process change is required, increasing the developmentcost. Hence the thickness of the BOX layer 24 is preferably 0.1 μm ormore.

In this embodiment, the smart-cut method is illustratively used tofabricate the SOI substrate, but the invention is not limited thereto.For example, the SOI substrate may be fabricated by the SIMOX(separation by implanted oxygen) method, where oxygen ions are implantedinto a silicon substrate, followed by annealing to cause chemicalreaction between silicon and oxygen, thereby forming a BOX layer.

In this embodiment, in each of the through MOSFET regions and the shuntMOSFET regions, two MOSFETs are illustratively connected in series.However, as shown in the fourth embodiment described below, the numberof MOSFETs is not limited to two. In general, in order to enhance powerhandling, two or more MOSFETs are disposed in series (stacked). Here, toobtain the same characteristics despite the increase of the number ofstacks, the gate width of each MOSFET also needs to be increased inproportion to the number of stacks. Hence, as the number of stacksincreases, the source/drain area in each stack increases. In this case,in a conventional substrate other than the SOI substrate, the increaseof source/drain area results in an increased RF signal flowing throughthe silicon substrate, decreasing the device isolation. In contrast, inthis embodiment, use of the SOI substrate allows isolation between theMOSFET and the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 by a thick BOXlayer. Thus no current flows between MOSFETs through the siliconsubstrate, and there is no decrease in characteristics even if the gatewidth is increased.

Furthermore, in the above first to third embodiment, boron (B) isillustratively used as an acceptor for charge compensation of interfacecarriers. However, the invention is not limited thereto, but otheracceptors may be used. Nevertheless, in the case where a thick siliconoxide film is formed and acceptors are implanted through the siliconoxide film, boron is suitable, because boron has the highestpenetrability for acceleration voltage.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram illustrating the semiconductor deviceaccording to this embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating the semiconductor device accordingto this embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B′ shown in FIG.13.

In FIG. 13, for convenience of description, an orthogonal coordinatesystem having X and Y direction is assumed in parallel to the surface ofthe semiconductor device. The same applies to other plan views describedbelow.

Like the above third embodiment, the semiconductor device according tothis embodiment is fabricated by forming MOSFETs on an SOI substrate andreceives as input a radio frequency signal having a frequency of 500 MHzor more and a power of 20 dBm or more. However, in contrast to the abovefirst to third embodiment, the semiconductor device includes noboron-doped layer. Instead, in this embodiment, a trench reaching thehigh-resistance silicon substrate is formed in the silicon layer and theBOX layer of the SOI substrate. The same applies to the fifth to eighthembodiment described below.

As shown in FIG. 12, the basic circuit configuration of thesemiconductor device 61 according to this embodiment is the same as thatin the above third embodiment (see FIG. 11). More specifically, throughMOSFET regions 67 and 68 are connected between an antenna pad 62 and atransmit pad 63 and between the antenna pad 62 and a receive pad 64,respectively. Shunt MOSFET regions 69 and 70 are connected between thetransmit pad 63 and a GND pad 65 and between the receive pad 64 and aGND pad 66, respectively. The function of each pad and each MOSFETregion is the same as that in the above third embodiment.

In each MOSFET region, in order to enhance power handlingcharacteristics, n (where n is an integer not less than 2) NMOStransistors are connected in series (stacked). Let V_(th) be thethreshold voltage of each transistor, V_(off) the off-voltage, Z₀ theimpedance of the overall MOSFET regions, and P_(max) the maximumallowable power of the overall MOSFET regions. Then P_(max) can beexpressed by the following formula (I). As seen from the followingformula (I), for V_(th)=1.0 V, V_(off)=0 V, and Z₀=50Ω, 18 stacks (n=18)are needed to pass a power of 35 dBm.

$\begin{matrix}{P_{\max} = \frac{\left\{ {n \times \left( {V_{th} - V_{off}} \right)} \right\}^{2}}{2 \times Z_{0}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

The gate electrode of each NMOS is supplied with a potential from acontrol circuit 79 through a resistor Rg11-Rg4 n, and a resistorRd11-Rd4 n is connected in parallel between the source and the drain ofeach NMOS.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, the semiconductor device 61according to this embodiment is different in layout from thesemiconductor device 41 (see FIG. 10) according to the above thirdembodiment.

The layout of the semiconductor device 61 is described, beginning withthe portions in common with the semiconductor device 41 according to thethird embodiment. A logic circuit region 78 is provided in a generallyhalf region of the surface of the semiconductor device 61, morespecifically in a region on the −Y direction side, and the controlcircuit 79 (see FIG. 12) is formed in this logic circuit region 78. Asignal passing region for passing an RF signal is provided in aremaining generally half region of the surface of the semiconductordevice 61, more specifically in a region on the +Y direction side. Theantenna pad 62 is provided at the edge of the signal passing region onthe +Y side and at the center in the X direction, and an interconnectregion 71 is provided to extend from the antenna pad 62 to the −Ydirection. The layout of the signal passing region is symmetric in the Xdirection with respect to the center line of the antenna pad 62 and theinterconnect region 71. The layout like this also applies to the otherembodiments described below.

Next, in the layout of the semiconductor device 61, the portionsspecific to this embodiment are described. As viewed from the portion ofthe interconnect region 71 on the −Y direction side, the through MOSFETregion 67 is provided on the −X direction side, and an interconnectregion 72 is provided further on the −X direction side. The interconnectregion 72 extends out further toward the +Y direction side than thethrough MOSFET region 67, and the transmit pad 63 is provided on the +Ydirection side of the interconnect region 72. The transmit pad 63 islocated at the corner of the semiconductor device 61 on the −X, +Y side.From the transmit pad 63 toward the +X direction, an interconnect region74, the shunt MOSFET region 69, an interconnect region 76, and the GNDpad 65 are aligned in this order and ended by the GND pad 65. The GNDpad 65 is located on the −X side as viewed from the antenna pad 62, andspaced therefrom by a certain distance. Thus an L-shaped gap region 80is formed so as to be surrounded by the antenna pad 62, the interconnectregion 71, the through MOSFET region 67, the interconnect region 72, thetransmit pad 63, the interconnect region 74, the shunt MOSFET region 69,the interconnect region 76, and the GND pad 65. An L-shaped trench 81 isformed in this gap region 80.

On the other hand, on the +X direction side of the antenna pad 62 andthe interconnect region 71, the through MOSFET region 68, aninterconnect region 73, the receive pad 64, an interconnect region 75,the shunt MOSFET region 70, an interconnect region 77, and the GND pad66 are located symmetric to the through MOSFET region 67, theinterconnect region 72, the transmit pad 63, the interconnect region 74,the shunt MOSFET region 69, the interconnect region 76, and the GND pad65 with respect to the center line of the antenna pad 62 and theinterconnect region 71. An L-shaped gap region 82 is formed so as to besurrounded by these regions, and an L-shaped trench 83 is formed in thegap region 82. The trenches 81 and 83 are symmetric to each other withrespect to the center line of the antenna pad 62 and the interconnectregion 71.

In the semiconductor device 61, the antenna pad 62, the transmit pad 63,and the receive pad 64 are radio frequency interconnects for passing anRF signal, and the interconnect region 71, the through MOSFET regions 67and 68, and the interconnect regions 72 and 73 are provided with radiofrequency interconnects for passing an RF signal. On the other hand, theGND pads 65 and 66 are fixed potential interconnects to be placed at theground potential, and the interconnect regions 76 and 77, the shuntMOSFET regions 69 and 70, and the interconnect regions 74 and 75 areprovided with fixed potential interconnects to be placed at the groundpotential. Hence, as viewed from above, that is, as viewed perpendicularto the surface of the high-resistance silicon substrate 23, the trenches81 and 83 are each formed in a region between the radio frequencyinterconnect and the fixed potential interconnect.

As shown in FIG. 14, the trench 81 passes through the interlayerinsulating film 40, the silicon layer 25, and the BOX layer 24 andreaches, and is dug into, the high-resistance silicon substrate 23. Thebottom of the trench 81 is located at 1 μm or more below the interface38 between the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 and the BOX layer24. The same applies to the trench 83. The peripheral length of thebottom of the trenches 81 and 83 is illustratively 20 μm or more.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment are described incontrast to a comparative example.

FIG. 15 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa comparative example of this embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C′ shown in FIG.15.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the semiconductor device 161 according tothis comparative example has no trenches 81 and 83 (see FIG. 14). Theconfiguration of the semiconductor device 161 other than the foregoingis the same as that of the semiconductor device 61 according to thisembodiment described above.

In the semiconductor device 161 according to the comparative example,interface carriers composed of electrons occur near the interface 38 ofthe high-resistance silicon substrate 23 with the BOX layer 24. When anRF signal flows through the above radio frequency interconnect, a radiofrequency electric field occurs in the gap with the fixed potentialinterconnect and causes the interface carriers to migrate, therebygenerating higher harmonics.

On the other hand, also in the semiconductor device 61 according to thisembodiment, interface carriers occur near the interface 38 of thehigh-resistance silicon substrate 23. Furthermore, when an RF signalflows through the radio frequency interconnect, a radio frequencyelectric field occurs in the gap with the fixed potential interconnect.However, in this embodiment, the trenches 81 and 83 are formed betweenthe radio frequency interconnect and the fixed potential interconnect,and no silicon oxide exists in the trenches. Hence no interface carriersexist at the bottom of the trenches. Therefore, among the migrationpaths of interface carriers, the shortest path connecting between theradio frequency interconnect and the fixed potential interconnect isinterrupted. This elongates the migration path of interface carriers bythe amount of circumventing the trench and prevents the migration ofinterface carriers. Furthermore, the area of the interface 38 decreasesby the amount of the trenches 81 and 83, decreasing the total number ofinterface carriers per se. Thus, in this embodiment, generation ofhigher harmonics is suppressed by preventing the migration of interfacecarriers and decreasing the total number thereof. To ensure the effectof preventing the migration of interface carriers by diverting theirmigration, the peripheral length of the bottom of the trenches ispreferably 20 μm or more.

In this embodiment, as viewed from the antenna pad 62, trenches areformed on both of the transmit pad 63 side and the receive pad 64 side.Hence harmonic generation can be suppressed on both cases where a highpower RF signal having a magnitude of 20 dBm or more flows through thecurrent path between the transmit pad 63 and the antenna pad 62 andwhere a high power RF signal flows through the current path between theantenna pad 62 and the receive pad 64. Typically, in a radio frequencyswitch circuit through which an antenna is switched to a transmittingcircuit and a receiving circuit in a mobile communication apparatus, theRF signal flowing between the antenna and the receiving circuit issmaller than the RF signal flowing between the transmitting circuit andthe antenna. Hence it is possible to omit the trench between the antennapad and the receive pad. However, if trenches are formed on both of thetransmitting side and the receiving side, the transmit pad 63 and thereceive pad 64 can be connected also in reverse.

In the following, the effect of this embodiment is quantitativelydescribed with reference to a numerical example.

In the semiconductor device 61 according to this embodiment and thesemiconductor device 161 according to the comparative example describedabove, the dimensions and characteristics of the components werespecified as follows. With regard to the SOI substrate 22, thehigh-resistance silicon substrate 23 was made of a P-type silicon waferhaving a specific resistance of 1 kΩ·cm, the thickness of the BOX layer24 was 2 μm, and the thickness of the silicon layer 25 was 0.1 μm. Inthis SOI substrate 22, the concentration of interface carriers occurringnear the interface 38 was 7.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻².

In and above the surface of this SOI substrate 22, the conventional CMOSprocess was used to form NMOS, followed by forming interconnects andpads. Here, the gate length (L_(g)) was 0.25 μm. Then the thresholdvoltage (V_(th)) was 1.0 V, the on-resistance (R_(on)) was 1.5 Ωmm, andthe off-capacitance (C_(off)) was 0.28 pF/mm. The gate width (W_(g)) was9.0 mm for each through NMOS (T11-T2 n) and 3.6 mm for each shunt NMOS(T31-T4 n), the number of stacks (n) was 18, each additional gateresistance (Rg11-Rg4 n) was 10 kΩ, and each additional source-drainresistance (Rd11-Rd4 n) was 10 kΩ. The interlayer insulating film 40 wasfabricated by alternately laminating a plurality of insulating layersand a plurality of interconnect layers, and the overall film thicknesswas 1 μm. Each pad was shaped like a square measuring 100 μm on a side.The distance between the antenna pad 62 and the GND pad 65, and thedistance between the antenna pad 62 and the GND pad 66 were each 30 μm.

As shown in FIG. 13, the trenches 81 and 83 were formed in thesemiconductor device 61 according to this embodiment. Here, the trenches81 and 83 were formed to 1 μm below the interface 38, and the widththereof was 20 μm. In contrast, in the semiconductor device according tothe comparative example, no trench was formed.

An RF signal having a frequency of 900 MHz and a magnitude of 35 dBm wasinputted to the antenna pad 62 of the semiconductor devices thus formed,and second harmonics were measured. In the semiconductor device withouttrenches (comparative example), the intensity of second harmonics was−75 dBc. In contrast, in the semiconductor device with trenches formedtherein (inventive example), the intensity of second harmonics was −80dBc. It was demonstrated from these results that this embodiment cansuppress generation of second harmonics.

In this embodiment, the trenches 81 and 83 are illustratively dug 1 μmor more into the silicon substrate 23. However, the trenches 81 and 83only need to reach the silicon substrate 23. Then the BOX layer 24 isremoved from above the silicon substrate 23 at the bottom of thetrenches 81 and 83. Hence interface carriers cannot exist in thisregion, and migration of interface carriers can be prevented.

Also in this embodiment, like the above third embodiment, the specificresistance and the conductivity type of the high-resistance siliconsubstrate 23, the thickness of the BOX layer 24, the method forfabricating the SOI substrate 22, and the number of pads are arbitrary.Furthermore, in this embodiment, the semiconductor device isillustratively an SPDT switch circuit to be connected to two RFterminals, that is, an RF terminal of a transmitting circuit and an RFterminal of a receiving circuit. However, the invention is alsoeffectively applicable to a multiport switch circuit to be connected tothree or more RF terminals.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 17 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according tothis embodiment.

The cross-sectional view taken along line D-D′ shown in FIG. 17 is thesame as FIG. 14 except that the antenna pad 62 therein is replaced bythe interconnect in the interconnect region 72.

The circuit diagram of the semiconductor device according to thisembodiment is the same as FIG. 12.

As shown in FIG. 17, the semiconductor device 91 according to thisembodiment is different in layout from the semiconductor device 61 (seeFIG. 13) according to the above fourth embodiment. However, thesemiconductor device 91 is the same as the semiconductor device 61according to the fourth embodiment in the following points: a logiccircuit region 78 is provided in a generally half region on the −Ydirection side; a signal passing region is provided in a generally halfregion on the +Y direction side; and the layout of the signal passingregion is symmetric in the X direction with respect to the center lineof the antenna pad 62 and the interconnect region 71.

In the following, in the layout of the semiconductor device 91, theportions different from the semiconductor device 61 are described. Asviewed from the antenna pad 62 and the interconnect region 71, thethrough MOSFET region 67 is provided in contact with these regions onthe −X direction side, and an interconnect region 72 is provided furtheron the −X direction side. The end of the interconnect region 72 on the−Y direction side extends out toward the −X direction, and theinterconnect region 72 is L-shaped as a whole. The transmit pad 63 isprovided on the extended line of the out-extending portion of theinterconnect region 72, that is, on the −X direction side. The transmitpad 63 is located at the corner of the signal passing region on the −X,−Y side. From the transmit pad 63 toward the +Y direction, aninterconnect region 74, the shunt MOSFET region 69, an interconnectregion 76, and the GND pad 65 are aligned in this order and ended by theGND pad 65. The GND pad 65 is located at the corner of the semiconductordevice 91 on the −X, +Y side. Thus a strip-shaped gap region 80extending in the Y direction is formed so as to be surrounded by theinterconnect region 72, the transmit pad 63, the interconnect region 74,the shunt MOSFET region 69, the interconnect region 76, and the GND pad65 on three sides, and a strip-shaped trench 81 is formed in this gapregion 80.

On the other hand, on the +X direction side of the antenna pad 62 andthe interconnect region 71, the through MOSFET region 68, aninterconnect region 73, the receive pad 64, an interconnect region 75,the shunt MOSFET region 70, an interconnect region 77, and the GND pad66 are located symmetric to the through MOSFET region 67, theinterconnect region 72, the transmit pad 63, the interconnect region 74,the shunt MOSFET region 69, the interconnect region 76, and the GND pad65 with respect to the center line of the antenna pad 62 and theinterconnect region 71. A strip-shaped gap region 82 extending in the Ydirection is formed so as to be surrounded by the interconnect region73, the receive pad 64, the interconnect region 75, the shunt MOSFETregion 70, the interconnect region 77, and the GND pad 66 on threesides, and a strip-shaped trench 83 is formed in the gap region 82. Thetrenches 81 and 83 are symmetric to each other with respect to thecenter line of the antenna pad 62 and the interconnect region 71.

The operation and effect of this embodiment are the same as those of theabove fourth embodiment.

In the following, the effect of this embodiment is quantitativelydescribed with reference to a numerical example.

FIG. 18 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa comparative example of this embodiment.

The cross-sectional view taken along line E-E′ shown in FIG. 18 is thesame as FIG. 16 except that the antenna pad 62 therein is replaced bythe interconnect in the interconnect region 72.

As shown in FIG. 18, the semiconductor device 191 according to thiscomparative example has no trenches 81 and 83 (see FIG. 17). Theconfiguration of the semiconductor device 191 other than the foregoingis the same as that of the semiconductor device 91 according to thisembodiment described above.

In the semiconductor device 91 according to this embodiment and thesemiconductor device 191 according to the comparative example, thedimensions and characteristics of the components were specified as inthe above fourth embodiment. Here, the distance between the interconnectregion 72 and the GND pad 65, and the distance between the interconnectregion 73 and the GND pad 66 were each 30 μm. The concentration ofinterface carriers occurring in the SOI substrate 22 was 7.0×10¹⁰ cm⁻².Under the same condition as in the fourth embodiment, an RF signal isinputted, and second harmonics were measured. As a result, in thesemiconductor device without trenches (comparative example), theintensity of second harmonics was −75 dBc. In contrast, in thesemiconductor device with trenches formed therein (inventive example),the intensity of second harmonics was −80 dBc. It was demonstrated fromthese results that this embodiment can suppress generation of secondharmonics.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 19 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according tothis embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F′ shown in FIG.19.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the semiconductor device according to thisembodiment is different from the semiconductor device 91 (see FIG. 17)according to the above fifth embodiment in that the trench 81 furtherextends out toward the −Y direction, passing like a tunnel below theinterconnect 72 a provided in the interconnect region 72. Likewise, thetrench 83 also further extends out toward the −Y direction, passing likea tunnel below the interconnect provided in the interconnect region 73.Furthermore, a trench 84 extending in the Y direction is formed directlybelow the center line of the antenna pad 62 and the interconnect region71. Like the trenches 81 and 83, the trench 84 passes through theinterlayer insulating film 40, the silicon layer 25, and the BOX layer24, reaches the high-resistance silicon substrate 23, and isillustratively dug a depth of 1 μm into the high-resistance siliconsubstrate 23. Hence the trench 84 passes like a tunnel below the antennapad 62 and the interconnect region 71. The configuration of thisembodiment other than the foregoing is the same as that of the abovefifth embodiment.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment are described.

In this embodiment, the trench 81 extending through the downside of theinterconnect region 72 serves to more efficiently prevent migration ofinterface carriers between the through MOSFET region 67 and the shuntMOSFET region 69. Furthermore, the trench 83 extending through thedownside of the interconnect region 73 serves to more efficientlyprevent migration of interface carriers between the through MOSFETregion 68 and the shunt MOSFET region 70. Moreover, the trench 84 servesto prevent migration of interface carriers between the through MOSFETregion 67 and the through MOSFET region 68.

Thus, when a high power RF signal flows through one MOSFET region, themigration path of interface carriers from this MOSFET region towardanother MOSFET region can be interrupted more efficiently, and henceharmonic generation can be suppressed more effectively. For example,when a high power RF signal flows from the transmit pad 63 toward theantenna pad 62, the RF signal flows through the through MOSFET region67. At this time, interface carriers existing directly below the throughMOSFET region 67 do not propagate to the other shunt MOSFET regions 69and 70 and the through MOSFET region 68 in the off-state. Consequently,generation of higher harmonics can be suppressed more effectively. Theoperation and effect of this embodiment other than the foregoing are thesame as those of the above fifth embodiment.

Next, a seventh embodiment of the invention is described.

FIG. 21 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according tothis embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 21, the semiconductor device 93 according to thisembodiment is different from the semiconductor device 91 (see FIG. 17)according to the above fifth embodiment in that the trenches 81 and 83are replaced by a continuous trench 85 surrounding each MOSFET region.The configuration of this embodiment other than the foregoing is thesame as that of the above fifth embodiment.

In the semiconductor device 93 according to this embodiment, the throughMOSFET regions 67 and 68 and the shunt MOSFET regions 69 and 70 are eachsurrounded and partitioned by the trench 85. Thus migration of interfacecarriers can be prevented more effectively. The operation and effect ofthis embodiment other than the foregoing are the same as those of theabove fifth embodiment.

Next, an eighth embodiment of the invention is described.

In this embodiment, a trench is formed between the stacked MOSFETs in atleast one region of the through MOSFET regions 67 and 68 and the shuntMOSFET regions 69 and 70 in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 15 or18. More specifically, in a region of the BOX layer 24 located betweenthe MOSFETs as viewed from above, a trench passing through the BOX layer24 and reaching the high-resistance silicon substrate 23 is formed.Thus, in this MOSFET region, it is possible to prevent an electric fieldproduced by the operation of one MOSFET from propagating to anotherMOSFET through interface carriers, and hence generation of higherharmonics can be suppressed. For example, it is possible to preventinterface carriers existing directly below the MOSFET in the first stackfrom propagating to directly below the MOSFETs in the second andsubsequent stacks, and hence generation of higher harmonics can besuppressed.

In the above fourth to eighth embodiment, the inside of the trench maybe an air layer, or an insulator may be buried therein. In the case ofburying an insulator, the insulator is preferably of the type that canavoid occurrence of interface carriers in the high-resistance siliconsubstrate, and hence an insulator other than silicon oxides ispreferable. However, even if interface carriers occur between the buriedinsulating film and the high-resistance silicon substrate, a trench canbe dug into the high-resistance silicon substrate to elongate thepropagation path of the interface carriers by the amount of digging.Thus migration of interface carriers can be prevented, and harmonicgeneration can be suppressed. To ensure this effect, the amount ofdigging the trench is preferably 1 μm or more. That is, the bottom ofthe trench is preferably located at 1 μm or more below the interfacebetween the high-resistance silicon substrate and the BOX layer.

The invention has been described with reference to the embodiments.However, the invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example,those skilled in the art can suitably modify the above embodiments byaddition, deletion, and/or design change of components, and suchmodifications are also encompassed within the scope of the invention aslong as they include the features of the invention. Furthermore, theabove embodiments can be practiced in combination with each other. Forexample, a boron-doped layer may be formed near the interface betweenthe silicon substrate and the silicon oxide film as in the above firstto third embodiment, and a trench reaching the silicon substrate may beformed between the radio frequency interconnect and the fixed potentialinterconnect as in the above fourth to seventh embodiment. Moreover, inaddition thereto, a trench may be formed between the MOSFETs as in theabove eighth embodiment.

In the above embodiments, the semiconductor device is illustratively aswitch circuit, but the invention is not limited thereto. The inventioncan be suitably applied to any semiconductor devices including a siliconoxide film on a silicon substrate and receiving an RF signal as input.For example, semiconductor devices consisting only of passive elementssuch as FBAR (film bulk acoustic resonator) filters or MEMS(microelectromechanical system) switches are also encompassed within thescope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device adapted to a radiofrequency signal, comprising: a SOI substrate including a siliconsubstrate, an oxide layer on the silicon substrate, and a silicon layeron the oxide layer; a device isolation region made of insulator andpartitioning the silicon layer into an active region; a transistorconfigured to switch on and off conduction of the radio frequency signaland formed in the active region of the silicon layer; an acceptor-dopedlayer formed in a whole region vertically aligned with the active regionof the silicon substrate at the interface between the oxide layer andthe silicon substrate, the acceptor-doped layer being doped withacceptors; and wherein the oxide layer has a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 μm.2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein theacceptor-doped layer has a thickness of 1 μm or less.
 3. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein sheet concentrationof the acceptors in the acceptor-doped layer is 4.0×10¹⁰ to 3.5×10¹¹ cm2.
 4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein theacceptors are boron.
 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,wherein said transistor comprises: a channel region between a sourceregion and a drain region in the silicon layer; a gate oxide film formedon the silicon layer directly above the channel region; and a gateelectrode provided on the gate oxide film directly above the channelregion.
 6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, whereininterface carriers of the silicon substrate are holes.
 7. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the acceptor-dopedlayer has a sheet concentration of the acceptors so as to compensateinterface carriers of the silicon substrate.
 8. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency signal has a frequencyof 500 MHz or more.